ANN ARBOR, MI - Ann Arbor has a lot of issues on its legislative policy agenda right now, and among them is stopping an effort in Lansing to ban the sterilization of deer in Michigan.

Kirk Profit and Gary Owen, Ann Arbor's state lobbyists from Governmental Consultant Services Inc., appeared before the City Council Monday night, Feb. 12, to discuss various issues from medical marijuana regulations to House Bill 5321, which seeks to end deer sterilization in Michigan.

"This is a bill that comes from the hunting and fishing community - a group called Michigan United Conservation Clubs, MUCC - in an attempt to celebrate or protect the constitutional right to hunt and fish, as they would articulate it, and really prevent ways to deal with deer populations outside of the actual hunting of these populations," Owen told the council, saying the bill is "very popular in northern Michigan and very popular with these types of organizations, but not one that necessarily contemplates what happens here in Ann Arbor."

A city-hired contractor last month sterilized another 19 deer in Ann Arbor by surgically removing their ovaries, while separately shooting and killing 156 other deer in the city. The city has an experimental research permit from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and so far it is the only community sterilizing deer in the state.

Rep. Triston Cole, R-Mancelona, is the sponsor of HB 5321. He breakfasted on smoked venison before testifying in Lansing against Ann Arbor's decision to sterilize deer last month.

"It's about a precedent on how we're going to move forward to manage our game species," Cole said.

Addressing the City Council on Monday night, Owen said Tom Crawford and Derek Delacourt from the city's administration deserve credit for going to Lansing last month and testifying before the House Natural Resources Committee, making the city's case for sterilization as a way to complement lethal methods.

"Their testimony was in part the reason why the chair announced a subcommittee - instead of reporting the bill out - to look at Ann Arbor's issues specifically, to look at urban deer populations specifically, and how you can manage those deer herds in areas that normal taking or normal hunting is just not an option scientifically," Owen said, noting the subcommittee is meeting Thursday and Delacourt will be back in Lansing to testify with more data.

Another of the city's priorities is to strongly support federal and state funding for affordable housing and oppose reductions for what the city considers effective programs. There was mention that the federal government may reduce reimbursement of overhead costs, which city officials say could have an impact of $130,000 on the Ann Arbor Housing Commission's budget in the next year.

City Administrator Howard Lazarus briefly discussed the possibility of using city-owned properties as development sites for more low-income housing in the city, whether as stand-alone projects or as part of mixed-income and/or mixed-use projects.

He said the two immediate sites where there's interest are 415 W. Washington and 721 N. Main, which are properties along the proposed route of the future Treeline urban trail.

Getting the state to address the issue of solar taxation to make small-scale residential solar arrays exempt from property taxes also remains on the city's policy agenda and was discussed Monday night.

Mobility issues also are on the city's agenda. Lazarus' presentation to council states the city will continue to seek federal, state and county funds for advancement of infrastructure projects that promote transportation improvements, transit, and pedestrian and bicycle facilities such as the Treeline urban trail.

He said the city is working with the Michigan Department of Transportation and some private entities on possible North Main Street improvements. Information presented to the council indicates the city is participating with MDOT on non-motorized components.

Lazarus said the city is still waiting for final clearance from the Federal Railroad Administration regarding a "finding of no significant impact" to proceed with plans for a new Amtrak station and parking garage in Fuller Park in front of the University of Michigan Hospital.

"We are still working with FRA to get that through the final review process," he said. "It remains a rather detailed and tedious effort."

Profit reminded council members that 2018 is a big election year and there will be many changes in state government in the next year, including a new governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, House speaker, Senate majority leader, and House and Senate appropriations chairs.

He said both the House and Senate are going to see a lot of turnover because of term limits.

"In the Senate, 26 of 38 will leave because of term limits. Seven of those are Democrat and 19 are Republican," he said.

Over the next two years, more than half the House will leave because of term limits, Profit said.

"It creates a lot of change and transition," he said, encouraging the city to take the opportunity to advance its agenda.

"It's a time to engage," he said, arguing the resolutions the City Council occasionally approves taking positions on state legislative issues are useful, as he takes those to Lansing.

Council Member Zachary Ackerman, D-3rd Ward, asked Profit to discuss the possibility of renegotiating the state legislation that created the Southeast Michigan Regional Transit Authority. He specifically wanted to know about excluding Macomb County, so only Wayne, Washtenaw and Oakland would be left in the RTA.

"I'm not sure how the other partners would react," said Profit, whose lobbying firm also represents Macomb County.

Profit recalled at one point years ago there was "no problem" with potentially excluding Washtenaw County from the RTA, so he suspects it would be similar if Macomb wanted out.

"I'd be interested in learning more about that," Ackerman said. "I think, in November 2016, Macomb County made pretty clear what their values are, and I don't know as if they're ever going to align with the regional transit authority."

The RTA's proposal for a 20-year, 1.2-mill regional transit tax was defeated by voters in November 2016. It would have funded new regional bus services across the four counties and a commuter rail line between Ann Arbor and Detroit.

The proposal had 56 percent support in Washtenaw County, 53 percent support in Wayne County and 50 percent support in Oakland County, but only 40 percent support in Macomb County, and Macomb's lack of support was enough to sink it.

While it's uncertain if a new RTA proposal will go on the ballot this November, Profit said GCSI is going monitor the issue because it's big for all four counties, but he said at the moment it's a local and regional matter and hasn't required state-level advocacy.